Joyce & Gigi's Kitchen

Last week I had dinner with a friend for her bday. It was a small group and she had chosen to go to Joyce & Gigi's. It's been on my radar for a while and I haven't gotten to try yet. I made a reservation for 6 people at 7PM.

Joyce & Gigi's Kitchen
1623 N Hall St.
Dallas, TX 75204
(469) 334-0799
http://joyceandgigis.com
Price: $$$

We arrived right on time. The place was empty, and it was a very small restaurant. Maybe fits like 40 people... maybe? The decor is nice, quite cozy. Apparently this is a mother-daughter duo so you get that homey feel. They specialize in South American food. I sure love me some Latin food!

Two of my friends were already there and ordered cocktails from the bar.

Sour Joyce (Creamy papaya, pisco sour) $12~ This was a pretty drink. A little tart for me but not bad.

Joyce and Gigi's (Rhubarb and strawberry sangria) $11~ This was delicious! And I never like sangria because I don't like wine. But it was like drinking juice. So yum!

We were seated immediate (duh!). The table was 2 small square tables put together. For 6 people, it felt quite cramped. :( I guess you can say "more intimate". Haha.

The waitress came and gave us the specials and took our orders. Then we were served their Homemade Mint Bread (with chimichurri butter). 

It was fresh out of the oven. And it was heavenly! The bread had so much flavor, and that crust on the top was perfection. At first we thought the butter was chunks of cheese. But then we spread it on and realized it wasn't. It was really rich in flavor and went very well with the hot, fluffy bread. I found out that you can buy a fresh loaf to go for $5.50~ I decided to get one before dinner was over. hehe. They freshly baked one for me to take home. Made my car smell so good! You can buy 8 oz. of butter to take home as well...that's a lot! I think it's like $8.50 or something.

One friend got the Soup of the Day: Peanut Soup (with beef and noodles) $6~ 

Sounded very interesting. The waitress said it was more brothy. But one would think peanut soup would be more creamy/rich. It was a very dark soup and the flavor punches you in the face. It was really tasty but I don't think I could finish that bowl in one sitting. It was very strong and heavy. It went really well with the bread though.

For the entree I got the Milanesa (Chicken milanesa fritatta, served over chicken skin quinoa grits and a side of beurre blanc sauce, garnished with a pickled onion and herb salad) $16~ 

 

The waiter poured the beurre blanc over the chicken for me when he served this dish. It was not a typical chicken milanesa which is usually a pounded out chicken cutlet. This just looked like fried chicken. Tender juicy awesome fried chicken. haha. It was pretty damn tasty. The crust was really nice. It was on a bed of quinoa which I felt was a little soggy? But still went ok with the chicken. The pickled onion salad was a nice compliment with the fried foods.

Pescado Sudado (seared chilean sea bass served over a yuca root cake topped with dried chili broth) $27~ 

This was market price, just FYI. So ask before you order because the price will change. It was yummy! The fish was cooked really well and paired surprisingly well with the yuca cake. I thought 2 soft textures would be boring, but the flakiness of the fish and the creaminess of the yuca was great. The sauce had so much flavor. I don't know if I liked this more than my chicken!

Feijoada (Pork sirloin, pork shoulder, homemade chorizo and black bean stew, served with a pickled onion and tomato salad) $17~ 

This wasn't as good. It was mostly beans, which was actually cooked well. But I dunno if I'd want to eat all of this as a main entree. I didn't get to try any of the chorizo, but my friend said it was very dry. He didn't like it very much. :(

Majadito (Duck confit red risotto with plantains, topped with a poach egg, garnished with pickled onion and tomato salad) $18~ 

I almost ordered this, but 3 other people were getting it so I changed my mind. I'm so glad I did, cuz this did not live up to expectations. First of all, where's the duck?!? It was so finely shredded and mixed in that you couldn't really tell. And usually I find risotto as an entree is just too much carbs... too heavy. The flavor was actually good, to me. The flavors were surprisingly light. The poached egg was nice. But we also didn't see any plantains. I'm thinking that was probably mashed up and mixed in as well. One of my friends really did not like it so she barely ate. I took the leftovers home to my fiance. haha. One of my other friends really enjoyed it though. Just depends on your preference I guess. But it would've been nice to have actual sliced duck on top or something and more textural differences in the dish.

So the dinner started off good but then took a different turn. Some of us really liked our dishes and some hated theirs. The drinks and bread were amazing though. By the time we had gotten our food, the place was almost half full. It's definitely a quaint little place off the beaten path. I doubt I'll go back again, but I don't regret trying it.

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Village Kitchen

Last weekend we went glassblowing with my sister and her bf. It was freaking cool! My sister had bought a Groupon months ago, and we finally got to go. It's worth trying at least once. I don't usually post anything not food related. But go check them out, it's a lot of fun! http://www.marrsart.com/

Anyways, on the way to glassblowing, we decided we should go check out Village Kitchen since it was on the way. Village Kitchen took over the old Marquee Grill spot by Highland Park Theater. The same chef, Andre Natera, from Marquee Grill is heading up VK. They basically revamped the decor and menu to move away from fine dining to more comfort food.

Village Kitchen
33 Highland Park Village
Dallas, TX 75205
(214) 522-6035
http://hpvillagekitchen.com/
Price: $$-$$$

We actually got there before dinner service started (which is at 5:30PM) so we had wait a while. But once they opened up the dining room we were seated immediately. Our waiter was very friendly and took our drink orders.

Bf thought this sounded interesting... VK Housemade Soda: Mint Ginger Beer $3~ 

So we asked for a little sample. I didn't see the menu item at first so I thought it was actually beer. It's not, it's just soda. And it was delicious!! Not too sweet and super refreshing. You can taste the ginger and the mint and both balanced well with nothing overwhelming the overall flavor. My bf had a slight stomach ache and this actually helped soothe it some too. Ginger is good for digestion! :)

We got a few things to share.

Pecan Lodge Smoked Brisket (burrata cheese, pickled vegetables, BBQ sauce) $13~ 

Since I don't know when we'll ever get a chance to go to Pecan Lodge, we can at least have a sampling of it on their flatbread. It was really good. I thought the portion size was great for the price. The brisket was definitely smokey and tender. I loved the melted burrata cheese on top. The pickled vegetables added a nice acidity with the rich meat and cheese. And I also liked the crust. Sometimes I don't like flatbreads because they make it too thin and crispy. This was more like a thin crust pizza, with just the right amount of chewiness in the dough but still thin.

Crispy Brussels Sprouts $7~ 

This is what we actually came for. haha. We remembered having it when it was still Marquee Grill and we both agreed that it was one of the best Brussels sprouts we've had. I'm soooo glad they kept it on the menu. It was still delicious. I don't know how they get the char on there and what all the flavors are but it's fantastic. I can eat like 3 of these. haha. We never actually understood why they closed down Marquee Grill. It was one of the best food we've had in Dallas. :( But at least they kept this dish in Village Kitchen! I'm happy. hehe.

Arctic Char (bok choy, mushrooms, miso butter sauce) $28~ 

The waiter informed us that this was the special fish of the day. As soon as we heard bok choy, my bf wanted to get it. For me, it was "miso butter". haha. So we got one to share. I love arctic char. It looks like salmon but it's not. I really enjoyed the crispy sear on the skin but I felt like the fish was just a smidgen overcooked than my preference. Still good though. The miso butter was delicious. But my favorite part was actually the mushrooms with the sauce. It had so much flavor! My bf was disappointed in the amount of bok choy. haha. I had a feeling it was just going to be more like a garnish but he had his hopes up. Overall a good dish, but not sure if I'd pay $28 to have it again... wasn't anything special.

For dessert we got a Fruity Pebbles Milkshake $5~ to share. 

My bf said we had to get it cuz he loves Fruity Pebbles. I like it enough, I'd rather some Cocoa Pebbles though. hehe. It was cute served in the jar. And I liked the garnish on top making it super colorful. It was good, I wish it was thicker. But it was like drinking cereal milk, which is pretty much what I expected. My bf wasn't blown away by it either but I think it's worth a try at least.

It was a delicious meal. I got my Brussels sprouts so I was happy. I think the 2nd thing I really liked was actually the mint ginger beer soda! haha. But the service was good, our waiter was very attentive. I will definitely go back to try more things. :)

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TX Food Truck Festival... FAIL... :(

This past weekend was the TX Food Truck Festival over at Valley View Mall. It was supposed to be a massive two-day festival where trucks from Austin, Houston, and San Antonio are all joining up in Dallas. I was super excited about this. Mainly because I wanted to try food trucks that are not based in Dallas. 

There was a $5 admission where 15% was going towards The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, North Texas Chapter. For access to supposedly 30+ different trucks, I thought that was a decent price for admission. Or so I thought initially...

I was busy Friday and during the day Saturday so I planned to go with my friends on Saturday night for dinner.

My friends arrived around 7PM and I was running behind. As we were heading there, they were already texting me that many trucks are out of food...including the one I really wanted to try, Yume Burger from Austin. Boooo...

I got there and was a little upset that they were still making people pay for admission since half the trucks are already out of food. If all the proceeds were going to charity then I wouldn't be saying anything...but it wasn't. We basically paid money to stand in lines only to find out the trucks are all out of food. Plus a lot of the trucks that I thought were going to be present, were no where to be found. Since half the trucks were empty, the other's still serving had super long lines. 

It turned out that Yume Burger only had the Yume Dog left so my friends were waiting in line for that before I arrived. I think they waited 45+ minutes before ordering. I was waiting at another line so I asked them to get one for me. Yume Dog (all beef hot dog, wasabi mayo, tonkatsu sauce, nori strips, crispy onion strings) $6~

This was a pretty decent size for the price. Although according to their website it's normally only $4... I'm willing to overlook the jump in price because it was so freaking delicious! All the flavors and elements worked together. The onion strings on top added an extra crispy texture and the sauces were creamy and bold. I wish I would've gotten two! Although just one was pretty hefty. Now I'm super sad that they ran out of everything else. I really really wanted to try their food.

So while my friends were at Yume, my bf and I stood in line for the waffle truck. There was a huge line and we started hearing people talking about how they were about to run out. "They only have 18 waffles left," a customer said as he walked past us. It would've been nice if the people working the truck would tell us in line. We were at least 30 people back... If we were wasting our time, it would be nice to know. This was another truck I really wanted to try, so it was another letdown. :( 

While at the waffle truck, I sent a friend of mine to Sabor Colombiano on Wheels from San Antonio. I wasn't planning to eat at that truck but they were one of the only ones open and didn't have an insane line. However, this turned out to be one of the worst trucks to be at. It took less than 10 minutes to order, but we ended up waiting over an hour to get our food. Ugh! If I knew this I would've just waited in line at one of the other trucks...

Arepa con Carne (grilled corn flour patty topped with shredded pork) $5~ This wasn't what I expected since I've had an Arepa before (it's more like a sandwich). But it was pretty good. The corn patty was slightly crispy and the pork was yummy. The pork had a ton of flavor and with the salsa on top it added a nice kick of heat.

Empanada de Carne Casera (homemade beef turnover; fried corn flour outside, ground beef and potatoes inside) $2~ each.

This was also different than empanadas I've had in the past. The shell wasn't the pastry consistency like I've had before. I liked it though. It was crispy and the filling inside was steaming hot. It was just a bit small per piece. They also increased their prices. According to their website the empanadas are 2 for $3 ... 

During the 60+ minutes standing around waiting for the food at the Colombian truck, I decided to go stand in line with a friend at Coolhaus. She hasn't had their ice cream sandwiches yet so I told her she should definitely try it. They were running out too. The only flavors that were left were pretty normal. I really wish she could've tried some more wacky flavors. She got Dirty Mint Chip Ice Cream with Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Sandwich $6~

I can't believe they increased their prices too!! At the Frisco Festival it was $5 for a sandwich. Sigh... The ice cream sandwich was good though. The ice cream had bursts of real mint flavor. It seemed different than how I've had it in the past though. There was less ice cream and the cookies seemed thicker. It was easier to hold it all together but sucks that there was less ice cream.

Overall, the event was a bust. :( All the ones I wanted to try were out of food and the lines were super long at the others. Being a two day event, you would think the trucks would be better prepared for this. Or at least have a better system of letting customers know what is out and what is still available. The event was scheduled to go until 11PM so it totally sucked that half of the food was gone by 7:30PM or so. Plus they shouldn've have charged for admission after all these trucks have run out of food. I hope they decided to donate ALL the proceeds to charity. It was really unfortunate. I was disappointed and felt bad that I suggested my friends to go. We ended up going to a restaurant for an actual dinner later...

EPIC FAIL. -__- I hope this sets an example for future events to stock up so that they have enough food for the crowds and to last the entire time. Dallas people are new to the food truck craze still so we flock to these events. Trucks definitely need to prepare more food than they normally do.

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LA!! MILK

After lunch we HAD to go to Milk. Plus it was so close by! I've never actually been to Milk, but I've had their ice cream sandwiches at Umami Burger. And they are fabulous!

Milk
7290 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 939-6455
http://www.themilkshop.com/
Price: $

It's a small place. First of all, I love their logo. It's so cute! Walking in, you automatically see their displays of yummy desserts. From ice cream bars to brownies to cupcakes to cakes, the display is so tempting!!

I recommended the ice cream sandwiches to my friends. Milk makes theirs with macarons instead of normal cookies. The texture with the ice cream is so different and amazing. I prefer ice cream sandwiches with the macarons actually. Plus it's easier and cleaner to eat!

Grasshopper Ice Cream Sandwich $4.50~ Just as delicious as I remembered!

Rocky Road Ice Cream Sandwich $4.50~ Tried it for the first time. YUM! There are lots of marshmallows in there too!

Red Velvet Ice Cream Bar $4.50~ This was just ok. Not enough red velvet flavor in my opinion.

1 Scoop (Coffee Toffee ice cream with waffle cone) $3.50~ I chose to just get a scoop of one of their ice creams. The coffee toffee was great with tons of toffee bits in there. The waffle cone was nice and crunchy.

YUMM-AY!!!! This is a place I have to visit every time I'm in LA. If the drive is too far, I can just get the ice cream sandwiches at Umami! hehe.

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LA Trip June2011 - Umami Burger

After hearing many great things about Umami in LA, I knew I had to try it. We went the first night after we arrived in Los Angeles.

UMAMI (URBAN)
1520 Cahuenga Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 469-3100
http://umamiburger.com/
Price: $$

We went to this location because it opened a little later than some of the other locations. Plus it has a full bar. I think each Umami location offers slightly different menu items and the decor is also unique to one another.

It looked like a pretty trendy place. And at 10pm, it was still pretty packed. We got lucky and got a table right away.

We weren't even that hungry since we had a meal on the plane, but since we're here...might as well try some different things right?? :P

We got the special: Truffle Fries $6~